A quiet Michael Pollan

I had dinner in Berkeley on Friday night with a good friend from grad school.  Driving through Berkeley and eating dinner at a fabulous Greek restaurant reminded me about this article I read in the most recent Organic Gardening magazine.  It was a conversation with Michael Pollan (author of The Botany of Desire and The Omnivore's Dilemma).  I haven't read either of those books, but I have heard him interviewed on several radio shows.  Usually there is a debate going on with farmers, and the shows have gotten pretty testy, in which case, I usually turn them off.   I listen to enough heated debates between 2 preschoolers!  So what I liked about this article is that it was a quiet, one-sided process in which I was taking part.

Pollan has researched and written about different aspects of  food and asserts that the highly processed foods that most people eat are not only hurting our bodies but the environment as well.    He talks about the link between gardening and cooking and believes that those who garden are the 58% of Americans who are still cooking.  (This number continues to decline.)  He goes on to talk about eating locally and organically as well as the differences between shopping at the farmers' markets vs. the supermarket.  (Bottom line:  Eat organically when you can and locally as often as you can.  Local is frequently organic without necessarily being certified as such.  Grow a garden in any space you have--small is OK!)

One issue that was addressed that made me think concerns certified organic foods.  Pollan became more controversial when he stated that some organic farmers are not really improvements over traditional feedlots and farms when all they do is switch to organic fertilizers.  The impacts of the process is still detrimental to the environment and to our food.  He says, "Organic is in danger of being co-opted.  I've been on organic factory farms, and if most organic consumers went to those places, they would feel they were getting ripped off. I think organic risks a real crisis of perception if the values that they're selling don't accurately reflect the practices they're engaging in.  They're organic by the letter, not organic in spirit."  (Another bottom line:  Shop farmers' markets when you can.  If you shop at a supermarket, then buy organic there since you know less about the farmers who grow your food.)

The interview took place in his garden in Berkeley.  He talked about some of his ups and downs with gardening and raising food.  Click here for an excerpt of the article.   This article made me feel better about our attempt at a garden this year and how we will try again next year.  I don't see myself buying tomatoes during the middle of winter this year.  It just doesn't seem right when I know how good the ones from my garden tasted!

Comments

[Lisa]

I'm a mom to four, ages 12-22 I love that you are raising your kids with an appreciation of gardening. There's nothing better for bringing the family together, and unleashing the curiosity of a child. Enjoy!

[bronwyn]

One more thing. I am feeling my body fight off some bad germs so I stayed away from the gym this morning and let Seth just play. After I lying around for over an hour, I got up and looked at yesterday's mail. I had received 4 thick, glossy catalogs. I spent 10 minutes, if that, calling the companies and got myself off of their mailing lists. Seriously, with the internet, I don't need catalogs any longer. That's my daily green contribution.

[bronwyn]

We're going to move our veggie garden next summer. It proved too shady. We certainly got enough veggies to eat, but I want at least 20 quart jars of tomatoes for next winter.

And, a little tid-bit. Will's step-mom went out to dinner with us aout a year ago. She ordered a salad with her meal and picked out all of the tomatoes since she knows what a real tomato should taste like. I'd never seen that before.